levelheaded wrote:Furthermore, Burrows is a key component to our PK. I still think it was a serious mistake letting Green go last year, and if we let Burrows walk in a season or two we'll face a similar decrease in our PK percentage. .

Good point about Josh Green. Green may have been a 'nobody" for the most part, but the guy was a very good penalty killer. In other words, he served a purpose on this team.

If the wheel ain't broke, why fix it? Last year - the Canucks had the #1 PK in the league. Why CHANGE what is working for you?

levelheaded wrote:Furthermore, Burrows is a key component to our PK. I still think it was a serious mistake letting Green go last year, and if we let Burrows walk in a season or two we'll face a similar decrease in our PK percentage. .

Good point about Josh Green. Green may have been a 'nobody" for the most part, but the guy was a very good penalty killer. In other words, he served a purpose on this team.

If the wheel ain't broke, why fix it? Last year - the Canucks had the #1 PK in the league. Why CHANGE what is working for you?

I believe Green did serve a role on our team last year too but I also find we have alot of similar type players right now on the roster that serve the same purpose and have pretty much the same offensive output. ie Cooke, Cowan, Burrows, Ritchie ... pesky role players ... questions are how many do we need ? and what are they really worth ? ... seems to me there are a dime a dozen around .... Management just had to make the decision which ones to keep ...

Bottom line as far as I am concerned is that they don't command alot of value on the market unless there is some offensive potential and upside ... thats why Kesler is a keeper and is very attractive to teams because he is young, he has the work ethic and he also has some offensive upside.

With some of the young guys like Raymond and Shannon also coming up showing offensive potential it does make guys lie Burrows and especially Cooke even more expendable .... I wouldn't necessarily say go out and trade Burrows at this point but I wouldn't say either that if the right deal came up we say "no... sorry he is untouchable ...."

My obseravations anyways ... good conversation and points by all here ...

levelheaded wrote:Furthermore, Burrows is a key component to our PK. I still think it was a serious mistake letting Green go last year, and if we let Burrows walk in a season or two we'll face a similar decrease in our PK percentage. .

Good point about Josh Green. Green may have been a 'nobody" for the most part, but the guy was a very good penalty killer. In other words, he served a purpose on this team.

If the wheel ain't broke, why fix it? Last year - the Canucks had the #1 PK in the league. Why CHANGE what is working for you?

I believe Green did serve a role on our team last year too but I also find we have alot of similar type players right now on the roster that serve the same purpose and have pretty much the same offensive output. ie Cooke, Cowan, Burrows, Ritchie ... pesky role players ... questions are how many do we need ? and what are they really worth ? ... seems to me there are a dime a dozen around .... Management just had to make the decision which ones to keep ...

The thing about Green is he was purely defensive. He made no attempt to be an agitator or score, and I think he was more effective than Cooke or Cowan is right now. He was so good on our pk because he didn't get out of position to make a hit or try anything fancy. I'd much prefer Josh Green for 500k than Jeff Cowan for 700k or Byron Ritchie for 600k. He was a simple but effective player, and extremely underrated. Mirtle had a statistical analysis of Penalty Killers last year and he came out as #1. He is sorely missed IMO.

If these Brad Richards rumours are true, I make that deal. He's not a rental, although his contract is huge, it's not what you wouldn't expect to pay a Hossa or Sundin anyways so...that's a wash in my book. This creates kind of a logjam at center, but I have a feeling Kesler will be a part of that deal, and so be it. This team desperately needs some offensive help and Brad Richards is a shot in the arm that could add that dimension and take some pressure (and oposing defenders) away from the Swedes. Did I mention he can be a playoff freak?

If we can't get Richards, I think we make a deal for a secondary rental player. There is NO point trading guys like Edler, Bourdon, Kesler or Schneider for someone who will probably bolt in the offseason. It's just too much of a risk.

-For me personally, Burrows is the type of guy that EVERY team needs. He has heart. The other night when Rolston was rough with Mitchell (who had just returned), Burrows responded....he went after Rolston.

-Penalty kill: Burrows is a very good penalty killer.

-Hustle: Burrows, for the most part, shows great hustle each and every night.

-Hidden scoring talent? I truly believe that Burrows has a LOT more scoring talent than people give him credit for. Look at some of the goals that the guy has scored. It takes a LOT of talent to score some of the goals that he has scored. I think Burrows is a potential "diamond in the rough" and might be the type of guy that will score some "clutch" goals for us down the stretch. I'd be interested to see if Burrows can have a "break out" season one of these days (similar to what Martin Gelinas had in 1997).

Burrows has surprisingly 'soft hands'.

So for those reasons, I would try and do whatever I could do hold on to Burrows for the next few seasons.

I think Blob McKenzie said it best though - If Burrows, by the age of 30, is heading down the path of Matt Cooke....then yes, get rid of the guy.

For now though - I'm interested to see if Burrows can maximize his potential (and in my opinion, there's something DEFINITELY there).

I would just say then ... look at Kesler last nite ... he is really starting to drive his value up because he can do all the things Burrows does plus score ...

His "big contract" now is really starting to look like a pretty fair deal for us.... only going to get better too as far as I am concerned. To me Cooke is kinda the odd man out now ... can't really see him getting any better and there are more younger guys coming up that can contribute more.

Grizzly wrote:I would just say then ... look at Kesler last nite ... he is really starting to drive his value up because he can do all the things Burrows does plus score ...

I guess my whole point is why not try and find a way to keep Kesler AND Burrows? (while still getting better as a whole, by trading away prospect(s) and a high end pick).

For the amount Burrows gets paid (relative to what he brings to the table.....and what I think his potential is), I think it would be a mistake to get rid of him....unless ofcourse, you were getting an UPGRADE on Burrows.....a player of which brings everything Burrows brings, but more (so in other words, trading Burrows, a prospect, and a high draft pick for another left/right winger that could kill penalties, score timely goals, and has heart, etc).

I'm a FIRM believer in the idea that trades shouldn't be made for the sake of making trades. It's never a good idea to deplete on asset, while strengthening another (and so if Burrows were to be traded, we had better get a guy that can be equally effective on the PK, etc.).